Gas holder



July 5, 1932 J. R. L. sANTos 1,865,792

GAS HOLDERv Filed Aug. 29, 1928 Patented July 5, 1932 STES P A T JOHN R. L. SANTOS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE. BARTLETT HAY- WARD COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION QF MARYLAND GAS HOLDER Application filed August 29, 1928.

l features are more readily adaptable to this type of holder than to the cylindrical type, but, nevertheless, the invention is capable of application generally by minor modifications and no necessary limitation to the particular type of holder illustrated is implied.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which,-

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary horizontal section 2O on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

F ig. 2 is a vertical fragmentary section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the meeting ends of two of the lubricantconveying bars as they appear when looking toward the center of the lfas holder. y

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the wall of the lgas holder above the lubricant conveying bars, the bars being shown in plan.

The outside walls of the gas holder consists of flat plates 6 sustained by column structures at the junction between adjacent plates. These column structures include an I-beam 7 and a plate 8. riveted or otherwise attached to the inner flanges of the I-beam. The member 8 offers a seat for the plates 6' which are riveted to it. A gas-tight Iioint is secured by weldin' the edges of the plates 6 to the flanges of the I-beam 7, as indicated at 9. All rivet heads on the inside of the shell are countersunk.

The piston structure comprises a head member 11 constructed of plate and provided with a depending peripheral flange or skirt 12. This is surrounded at its lower end by an annular peripheral flange 1.3. which may be made of channel iron, or of any other suitable form. A plurality of brackets 14; riveted to the member 13 carry rollers 15 which contact the inner wall of the shell 6 and guide lSerial N0. 302,788.

the piston in its vertical movements, and of which only one bracket and roller is shown.

Mounted at intervals around the skirt 12 are brackets 16 to which are pivoted, at 17, corresponding levers 18. These levers carry loading weights 19, only one of which is shown. The levers 18 are pinned at 21 to supporting brackets 22. Said brackets are fixed on a packing supporting element made up of a plurality of sections.

With a gas holder of the cross section here illustrated, these sections comprise a plurality'of long straight sections 23 alternating with shorter sections 24, the shorter sections beingopposite the column elements 8 and the.

longer sections spanning the intervals between these elements.

The sections 23 and 24 provide a substantially continuous packing support and each includes a bottom flange 25, a main vertical web portion 26, and an angular offset top portion 27. Supported on the bottom' flange 25 are a plurality of round-.backed pressure equalizing bars. In the example illustrated these are arranged in two series but more or fewer might be used, depending on the number of packing strips.

In the example illustrated the first set of equalizing strips comprises two bars 28 which have rounded back surfaces contacting the web 26. The second series comprises four strips 29 having rounded backs contacting the flat outer faces of the strips 28. These strips or bars are preferably formed from wood, as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawing. An apron 31, of canvas or the like, is clamped .gas-tight to the member 13 by means of the bolts 32. and clamping ring 33. Its outer edge is drawn over the rounded peripherv of the bottom flange 25, and thence extends upward over the outer faces of the equalizing bars 29.

Seated againstthis canvas strip and backed up by the bars 29, are a plurality of packing strips 34, of any suitable material. for example.v felt. There are two such packing strips for each of the backing strips 29, and the purpose of the series of strips 29 and 28 is to equalize the pressure exerted on the strips 34.

It will be obvious from an inspection of the drawing that the rocking of the strips about their longitudinal axes would have the desired equalizing effect.

In order to prevent upward movement of the packing strips and equalizing strips relatively to the supporting structure 23, there is provided a series of confining plates 35, one for each section 23 or 24, as the case may be. The plates 35 are yieldingly held by springs 36. These Surround bolts 37 which pass through the plates 35 and through a portion of the oifset 27. Only one of the plates, springs and bolts is shown.

In dry seals such as that just described, it has been the practice to feed lubricant to the interior surface of the shell plate 6 through the body of the packing. In some instances this is not desirable, and one purpose of the present invention is to provide lubricating means distinct from the packing.

To secure this result I provide a plurality of brackets 4l which are mounted on the piston structure and to which are pivoted, at 4Q., a series of levers 43. These levers are weighted, as indicated at 44, and at their opposite ends support, by means of pivots 45, a plurality of combined lubricating and scraping bars 46. These bars are of channel section, and as shown, have their open or ported side toward the shell. Some means are provided for feeding lubricant, such as oil, grease or tar, to the channel or aperture under pressure, and for purposes of illustration there are here shown spring plunger lubricators 47. These are intended primarily to typify some force feed device for supplying lubricant, and obviously various such devices might be substituted.

The bars 46 form a practically continuous series around the internal face of the shell 6. A convenient mode of securing such continuity is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, in which each bar is notched at its end to clear the column member 3 the bars overlapping where they contact the column member. To accomplish this result the levers 43 are suitably dimensioned to support the bars 46 at a slight inclination, that is, sufficient inclination to permit the overlapping illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

Other arrangements are obviously possible, and in the case of a cylindrical gas holder having no internal column element, the construction m'ay be materially simplified in ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

While I prefer to use lubricating bars having face grooves, as shown, the essential ything is that the bars have lubricant conduits with apertures leading to the contacting faces. Obviously various changes of detail may be made in the packing and lubricating structures, and the disclosure should be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting.

What is claimed is,-

1. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein; a packing seal between the periphery of the piston and the shell; a plurality of lubricator bars movably mounted on the piston, said bars being independent of the packing seal and forming a substantially continuous annular series in contact with the inner face of the shell and having` at least one lubricant discharging aperture in those sides presented toward the shell; and means for feeding lubricant to said bars.

2. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein; a packing seal between the periphery of the piston and the shell; a plurality of overlapping ported lubricator bars contacting the inner face of the shell and movably mounted on the piston with their ports presented toward the shell; means for feeding lubricant to said bars; and yielding means urgingl the bars into contact with the shell.

3. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein a packing seal between the periphery of the piston and the shell; and force feed means carried by the piston and arranged to deliver lubricant to the shell throughout substantially the entire periphery of the piston and outside limits of the packing seal.

4. In a waterless gas holder, the combina tion of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein; a plurality of packing strips mounted on the periphery of the piston; rocking equalizer strips backing up the strips and each supporting at least two packing strips; and yielding means acting through the equalizer strips to exert sealing pressure on the packing strips.

5. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein; a plurality of packing strips mounted on the periphery of the piston; rocking equalizer strips backing up the packing strips and each supporting at least two strips; a second set of rocking strips each backing at least two of the rst-named rocking strips; and yielding means acting through the second set of rocking strips to exert sealing pressure on the packing strips.

6. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable in said she-ll; a support surrounding the piston and composed of sections individually mounted for substantially radial motion relatively to the piston; means urging said sections outward; a plurality of series of superposed rocking` pressure equalizing strips mounted on said support a plurality of packing strips supported in pairs on the rocking strips of the outermost series; and means for sealing the packing strips to the piston.

7. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a, shell; a piston vertically movable in said Shell; a support surrounding the piston and composed of sections individually mounted for substantially radial motion relatively to the piston; means urging said sections outward; a plurality of series of superposed rocking pressure equalizing strips mounted on said support; a plurality of packing strips supported in pairs on the rocking strips of the outermost series; and a flexible apron connected with the piston and sealed to said packing strips.

8. In a waterless gas holder, the comb-ination of a shell; a piston vertically movable in said shell; a support surrounding the piston and composed of sections individually mounted for substantially radial motion relatively to the piston; means urging said sections outward; a plurality of series of superposed rocking pressure equalizing strips mounted on said support a plurality of packing strips supported in pairs on the rocking strips of the outermost series; and a flexible apron connected with the piston and clamped between the packing strips and the outermost series of pressure equalizing strips.

9. In a waterless gas holder, the comb-ination of a plurality of vertically disposed columns; a plate secured to the inner face of each of said columns, said plate having its outer faces adjacent its vertical edges beveled and a series of body plates secured to the beveled portion of the plates aforesaid, such elements forming a shell; a piston mounted in the shell; a seal surrounding said piston and contacting the inner face of the shell lubricant presenting means, said means comprising a series of bars overlapping at their ends and being notched at such portion to engage the inner face and edges of the plate secured to the columns; and means for feeding a lubricant to said bars.

l0. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell polygonal in cross section and having at its angles vertically disposed elements presenting inwardly of the holder two vertical edges and a connecting face; a piston mounted in the shell; a series of bars arranged around the interior of the shell, the ends of the bars overlapping and notched to conform to and t against the edges and the face of the vertically disposed elements aforesaid; means for forcing said members outwardly toward the inner face of the shell and means for supplying said bars with lubricant.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN R. L. SANTOS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTEON.

Patent N0. 1,865,792. Jul?,1 5, 1932.

JOHN R. L. SANTS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in tite printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 98, claim 3, before "limits" insert the word the; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Gffee.

Signed and sealed this 11th day ei Gottmer, A. D. i932.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

